White Ribbon Campaign in Singapore

Kirjoittanut bert To, 2007-11-22 03:53

Today I'm going to be interviewed by a (female of course) journalist from a Chinese-speaking newspaper about the White Ribbon Campaign, together with Connie Singam, the chair of AWARE. She sent us (in very bad English) the questions she's going to ask us, for my part:
1) This is the first time the Male Chapter is leading the campaign, how do you intend to do this ?
2) Why is it important to have the Male Chapter to lead this ?

And this is what I'm going to tell her:
1) Concerning the first time & how to do it:
- It's the second time actually
- The WRC campaign
- - was initiated by men (1991 in Canada after the 1989 Montreal
massacre of 14 female students)
- - has since grown into a worldwide men's campaign (47 countries
now (Finland since 1998))
- - is usually run by a (profeminist & NGO) men's organisation
- - focuses on men - urging men to
- - - stop men's violence against women, unconditionally
- - - spread the message to other men by wearing the white ribbon
as a symbolic and visible pledge never to resort to, condone
or remain silent about such violence
- - in 1999 was adopted by UN, officially designating WRC's
campaign day, Nov 25, the Day for the Elimination
of Violence Against Women
- The Male Chapter currently seems to be the only problem, ie
- - how to find men willing to commit themselves also in practice to
this cause
- Fortunately almost all planning & preparation has been more or
less done already
- - thanks to the wonderful and assiduous women of AWARE
- - thanks also to the enthusiastic staff of RP (very opportune host
BTW, recalling Montreal)
- - with the MC playing a more consultative role

2) Concerning why is it important that the Male Chapter leads the campaign ?
- It's actually very important, as
- - WRC per origin & definition is a men's movement, a men's
protest
- - - against the physical & mental violence men use against women
(to control, to keep up a patriarchal structure in a
relationship, to discharge frustrations etc), but also
- - - against the structural and societal violence used to maintain
male supremacy in the society
- - WRC is also a men's protest
- - - against the concept of men being violent by nature (we're
brought up to be)
- The problem seems to be to find men who really believe they
have something to gain from a relationship and a society
built on gender equality

Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to read what she's going to write - I gave up my Mandarin studies after the Basic course ;-(